Page 175 of A Court of Thralls and Thorns

“Ashe?” His voice was sharp with worry.

“Poison,” I mumbled, the word escaping my lips.

Zander swore under his breath. His arm looped around me, holding me upright as my body sagged.

“You’re going to be fine,” he said, but his voice held an edge of panic. “Stay with me.”

I fought to stay conscious, but my limbs refused to obey, and the world began to blur. The last thing I remembered was the warmth of Zander’s hand gripping mine tightly and the fierce determination in his voice.

“You are not dying tonight, Ashe.”

“How did you know I was… in trouble?” I whispered.

“Kaelith sensed you were in danger. She alerted Hein.”

Zander carried me to his bedroom. As soon as he laid me down, I felt the fire in my blood. I needed him. I pulled his lips to mine, and his tongue swirled over them. But a few seconds later, he stumbled back.

The fire crawling under my skin intensified, spreading like molten lava through my veins. Every breath I took felt too shallow, too hot. My clothes stuck to me, damp with sweat. My muscles trembled with a restless energy I couldn’t control.

Zander paced the room, running a hand down his face. “Shit… shit,” he said, as if saying it enough times would change the situation.

“What does that mean?” My voice came out breathless, desperate. I shifted on the bed, my fingers curling into the sheets like I could somehow ground myself if I held on tightly enough.

“It means,” Zander said through gritted teeth, “that bastard poisoned you with Lucorin.”

I blinked hard, trying to focus past the burning ache. “Lucorin? What is that?”

He stopped pacing and faced me, his eyes swirling with Dark Fire. “It’s a dragon mating hormone. It’s illegal as hell—dangerous stuff, rare to get hold of.” His jaw clenched. “It’s extracted frommated dragonsduring their cycles—meant to trigger an uncontrollable bond response. It’s potent… almost impossible to resist.”

My stomach twisted. “So, it’s… what? A lust poison?”

“No,” Zander said sharply. “Not for humans, anyway. For dragons, it’s meant to trigger their instinct to claim a mate—a bonding instinct. But for anyone with fae blood?” His eyes locked on mine, a shadow of dread settling behind the fire. “It drives them into a… sexual frenzy.”

I swallowed hard. My throat felt dry as sand. “And if I don’t…?”

“It’s going to get worse,” Zander said quietly. “Your body’s burning itself up trying to purge it. If you don’t…” He stopped, his face darkening. “If you don’t find relief, it’ll hurt like hell for days, or it will kill you.”

The heat in my blood spiked, and I gasped, arching my back against the mattress. My vision blurred as sweat rolled down my temple.

I reached for him—not because I wanted to, but because the fire inside me demanded it. My fingers tangled in the fabric of his shirt, and I yanked him down to me. His lips crushed against mine, and for a moment, I felt like I could breathe again. His mouth was fire and ice, his tongue tracing the seam of my lips. I opened for him, desperate for the cooling sensation of his kiss.

But then he jerked back, stumbling away like I’d burned him.

“Shit,” he swore again, wiping his mouth like he could scrub the feeling away.

“What?” I rasped. “Why did you stop?”

Zander’s eyes flickered, torn between guilt and need. “Because when you kissed me… you infectedme.”

I stared at him, horrified. “What?”

“The poison is transferable.” His voice dropped to a strained whisper. “You passed it to me.”

I barely heard him over the fire thrumming through my veins. “So, what happens now?”

“We have two options,” he said grimly. “We find a healer who knows how to neutralize Lucorin—which won’t be easy. Or…”

“Or what?” I demanded.